Electric switch.



C. CARSON.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED MAR- 29. 1915.

1,151,162. 7 Patented Aug. 24, 1915.

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CLARENCE CARSON, OF EW ROCHELLE, NEw YoRK.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 24, 1915.

Application filed March 29, 1915. Serial No. 17,914.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLARENCE CARSON, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Sutton Manor,.New Rochelle, New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Switches, of which the following is'a specification.

tively guarded against.

My invention relates to electricswitches in general and more specifically to the production of a compactand convenient form of switch for u 'e on a portable electric lamp and dry battery therefor.

In devices of this kind a metal receptacle for the battery provided with a lamp socket and reflectoron one side is sometimes employed as a part of the electric circuit, and the switch, or circuit breaker, is mounted in the cover for said receptacle, but the constructions heretofore employed have been loose and inefiicient and apt to produce short circuit. j e

I have invented a compact, simple and effective construction in which the creation of short circuits, as well as the unintentional closing of the lamp circuit through unintended operation 'of the switch, are effec- The best form of apparatus embodying my invention at presentknown to me is illustrated in the accompanying sheet of drawings in which:

Figure 1 is,a side elevation and partial ver tical section on line 1-1 of Fig. 2 of a lamp and battery carrying structure equipped with my invention. Fig. 2 is a detail view of the cover shown in elevation looking from the direction toward which the switch lever projects, and at right angles to the line ofview of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a bottom .view of Fig. 2. Throughout the drawings like reference characters'indicate like parts.

1 is the cylindrical metal container for a cell of dry battery 10. Usually it has a nonconducting lining 2,. and removable cover 3, and also reflector 4, and lamp socket '5, mounted on one side.

6, is an incandescent lamp, 7, the Contact for the terminal located in the center of the end of the lamp base, as usual, and 8, a wire extending from Contact 7, to central pole 9, of the battery cell.

11, is the peripheral pole of the battery cell, connected by wire 12, to swltch pivot 13, at the center of cover 3. This cover has a central upwardly projecting boss 17,.1n

which is placed a disk of indurated fiber or other insulating material 18; This disk is centrally perforated to permit the passage of the switch pivot 13, and against the under Side of the disk is held the switch lever 16, mounted on the pivot 13 and yieldingly pressed against the under side of the disk 18,

14. The boss 17 is cut away at 20, on one side so as to expose a portion of the edge of the disk 18, and permit the switch lever 16, to project through the boss to the exterior of the cover and have a limited'swinging motion about its pivot. v

I Near one end of the recess'20, a slot 19, is cut in the under side of the disk radially thereof-and a narrow section of the disk adjacent said slot is split out and forms a finger 26, which can be bent downward as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, to form an effective stop for the switch lever 16, to insure the. said lever not being swung far enough to strike the end of the recess 20 in the boss 17. Toward the other end of said recess 20, the edge thereof is beveled downward and then continued horizontally below the level of the disk 18. This portion of the edge may also be provided with a notch 22, .therein. The disk 18, is held against turning in the'boss 17, by any convenient means such as the rivet 23. The opening 25, through the center of the boss 17, concentric with the opening through the center of thefiber disk 18, is made of larger diameter so that the pivot pin 13, will be centered in the disk and can not touch the conducting portion of the cover. -To hold the parts together insulating washer 24, is employed.

In operation the parts are assembled as shown, circuit being fromthe peripheral pole of the battery through the wire 12, to the switch pivot 13, to the switch lever 16,

i and if said lever is in notch 22, through the metal of cover 3, and container 1', to reflector l, lamp socket 5, through the lamp and out at the central terminal to center conthe fiber disk. A reversal of this operation by means of the spring Washer 15 and nut tact 7, through, wire 8, to the central pole '9,

will again complete the circuit. The downwardly projecting split finger 26, practically fills the end of the recess 20, so that by no possibility can the switch lever be driven by it into contact with the metal of the boss 17, at that end of the recess 20. The spring washer l5, and elasticity of the switch lever 16, holds said switch lever upward so that it will never sag down into contact with the lower margin of the cut away portion of the cover 3. All the parts are held spring pressed together and there is no opportunity for looseness such as might permit the switch to slip into engagement when the apparatus is left to knock about in a tool box or other receptacle. The switch is positively held in both positions of adjustment and the resiliency of the parts will take up all ordinary wear so that use will not diminish the certainty of operation as above described.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. In an electric switch the combination of an insulating disk, a conducting cap overhanging the disk and cut away at one side so as to expose a portion of the edge of the disk, a lever pivoted on the cap and insulated therefrom when in certain positions, but adapted to bear thereon when in other positionsand projecting radially thereof throughthe said cutaway portion at one side, and circuit connections to said lever and cap, said exposed portion of the disk having stop means of insulating material 00- operating with the lever.

2. In an electric switch the combination of an insulating disk, a conducting cap overhanging the disk and cut away at one side so as to expose a portion of the edge of the disk, a lever pivoted 'on the cap and, insulated therefrom when in certain positions but adapted to bear thereon when in other positions and projecting radially thereof through the said cutaway portion at one side, and circuit connections to said lever and cap, said'exposed portion of the insulating diskbeing provided with a radially extending notch with which the lever may engage when in one position.

3. In an electric switch the combination of an insulating disk, a conducting cap overhanging the disk and cut away at one side so as to expose a portion of the edge of the disk, a lever pivoted on but insulated from the cap yielding toward and away from the same and proj ectingv radially thereof through the said cutaway portion at one side, and

circuit connections to said lever and cap, said exposed portion of the insulating disk being I provided with a radially extending notch with which the lever may engage when in one position, and the cap having an inclined edge extending below the level of the insulating disk at another point. i

4. In an electric switch the combination of an insulating disk, a conducting cap overhanging the disk and cut away at one side so as to expose a portion of the edge of the disk, a lever pivoted on but insulated from the cap yielding toward and away from the same and projecting radially thereof through the said cutaway portion at one side, and circuit connections to said lever and cap, said exposed portion ofthe insulating disk being provided with a radially extending notch with which the lever may engage when in one position, and the cap having an inclined edge extending below the level of the insulating disk and provided with a notch with which the lever may engage when in another position.

5. In an electric switch the combination of an insulating disk, a switch lever pivoted on an axis coincident with the axis of the disk and arranged to press elastically against the an insulating disk, a switch lever pivoted on an axis coincident with the axis of the disk and arranged to press elastically against the disk, and a curved piece of conducting ma terial overhanging the edge of 'saiddisk adapted to make contact with said lever when in certain positions, but cut away so as to avoid contact when said lever is in other positions, said disk having a radial finger cut out at and near the circumference and bent over into the path of the lever to act as a stop therefor.

CLARENCE CARSON;

Witnesses:

CHARLES E. HORT N, .PAUL HUNT. 

